My little daughter and I had the pleasure of visiting with Santa Claus in Dassel Dec. 20, courtesy of the Dassel Fire Department and the chamber.

I took pictures for the newspaper, and we enjoyed the visit despite near-blizzard conditions.

The weather didn’t stop Dassel children from coming  in fact, I thought there were more this year than last!

We are such hardy folks here. Living in Minnesota makes you tough and tolerant.

I personally think the harsh weather also makes you kinder and contributes to a better disposition (Minnesota Nice). We know that things can always get worse, so we appreciate what we already have.

It was actually harder to get home one mile from the Dassel Fire Hall than it was to drive several miles down the road to Waverly earlier in the morning.

Nevertheless, visit we did, and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Make ‘em and break ‘em

I don’t mind chasing resolutions each year, because it’s a good excuse to improve yourself. It can be done other times of the year, too. But the end of the year seems to be when we measure what we’ve done all year long and are in a reflective mood.

I asked co-workers for their resolutions and received a nice handful, with a few duds who didn’t want to partake (some of whom poddy-mouthed the process; ahem).

Here are a sample of those willing to participate:

New Year’s resolutions

“Every New Year, I resolve to ‘stay classy’ and I haven’t missed it yet.” Stephen W.

“It’s something I wanted to conquer this past summer and never did . . . I want to launch and load up our fishing boat by myself, so that I can take my boys fishing on a whim, and not have to wait for my very busy husband to humor us. I think this will also teach our boys that women have strengths in areas outside the stereotypical, not to mention build great memories.” Jennifer G.

“To read more,” Caroline W.

“To have a better diet in order to manage my high cholesterol, and be more patient with my kids.” Lynda J.

“Each year I vow to save more. Then the bills come in from Christmas, and it takes the rest of the year to recover.” Linda S.

Quotes to remember

“The safest road to hell is the gradual one  the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”  CS Lewis

“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’”  CS Lewis